Government asks for 30 years for Langford

By Nate Hall

TUSCALOOSA, AL (WBRC) – In a memo issued on Wednesday, the government prosecution in the Larry Langford trial asked the judge to sentence Langford to 30 years in prison, pay a large restitution to the IRS, and forfeit a large sum.

In the memo, the U.S. attorney asks for the recommended sentence of 292-365 months, a restitution amount of $119,985.00 to be paid to the IRS, and $241,843.65 as forfeiture.

Prosecutors, in the memo, say the sentence should be longer than his co-defendants because, "Langford is the corrupt public official, he deserves a longer sentence than the greedy banker and Middleman. Langford's breach of the public trust by taking bribes is significantly more damaging than Blount's payment of bribes."

The fact that Langford did not accept responsibility was also taken into account in the recommended sentence. The government states in the memo that, "the defendant did not accept responsibility and provide substantial assistance. Blount and LaPierre did."

The prosecution is hoping to make Langford into somewhat of an example. A line in the memo says, "this Court is in a unique position to impose a sentence that not only justly punishes the defendant but that also deters others from engaging in similar criminal conduct." It goes on to state precedence of the case of The United States vs. Martin by quoting "[D]eterrence is particularly important in white collar crimes."

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